Down here with me
by liliaeth
Summary: After Buffy's death, Spike's forced to make a run for it with Dawn.(AU)


Down here with me 

Down here with me

The night sang it's tune of deadly seduction. Players and pawns shared the floor, switching places in the dance of life and death. Hunter turns to prey in a matter of seconds, a heartbeat or less.

One player sipped his beer, as he watched the dance unfold. Staring at it all from the sidelines, forced to stare and watch and damn his fate.

The vampire gulped down the last of his beer, snorting with disdain as he noticed a fool chat up to the killer who'd end his existence. The girl was all smiles and innocence but he knew the killer lurking behind those dark almond eyes and could hear the song of death whistle it's tune.

She danced with him, her prey, moving up to him, touching him as she lured him outside. Holding his attention with every move of her hips, every pout of her dark red lips. She leaned into his chest as they crossed the door.

Spike got up from his table and threw the but of his smoke into the last inch of his beer. Grabbing a last thread from his plate with fried onions and munching on it as he stared after the predator amongst them.

The girl's prey looked down on her, brushing her dark black curls almost lovingly, leaving the last of the light behind them. He checked back, searching for any possible witness. Spike pulled back, just out of sight. The boys withered face turned to bumps and fangs as he leaned over to her neck, ready for the kill. He grabbed her body closer, no normal human would be able to get out of that and death should have awaited her.

Her knee rose up, hitting him straight between the legs. He let go for only one second, feeling his pain. She used the chance to kick him back to the other side of the alley. He got up, hissing.

"Slayer."

The vampire grabbed for his chest, his eyes still looked stunned as he crumbled to dust.

Spike leaned up against the door pile, lighting a new smoke even as she turned to him. All business this one, clean, quick and all too young.

She looked up to him and he just whistled in appreciation for her style.

"Who the hell are you?"

He grinned, never shirking back, blowing clouds of cigarette smoke her way.

"A friend"

She snorted at his words, the stake still in her hand.

"Just not yours."

He finished the words and tasted the nicotine as another hint of smoke filled the air between them, before he turned away, fading in the crowd.

******

There was running. Lots of it actually. Steam roamed up around her as she heard their footsteps march on behind her. She could feel the stickiness on her hands, her lips were pressed together, her eyes stinging with tears ready to burst out. But there was no time for that now. No time for anything but to run.

She wiped her hands on her trousers, ignoring the dark brown stains on her white pants. Her fathers blood, so easily wiped away.

Two huge figures appeared in front of her. Men, dressed in some kind of medieval armor, she'd seen them before.

"The key is the link. The link must be severed. Such is the will of God."

The knights arm rose, coming down upon her.

She woke up with a scream, a soothing hand in her hair. She pulled back, noticing a dark figure looming over her. His bright blond hair reflected the light of the torch, making it seem like a halo surrounding his head.

"Don't worry Nibblet, I'm here. Everything's going to be just fine."

Dawn let herself fall in his arms, sobbing against his chest. He pulled her closer, but she couldn't help stare at her hands. Hands that had her fathers blood on it. If only ... If only she could have saved him, if only the knights of Byzantium hadn't found her again, if only her dad hadn't come for her, if only...

All of it because of her, because she was the key, because ...

"You're not evil Nibblet. It's not your fault."

But it was and she fought her grief in his arms.

She finally let go and pulled back to the other side of the couch, noticing the torches that had almost lid out as she'd fallen asleep while waiting for him. The TV screen still showed images of some late night talk show. Some guy was talking about clingy women, going on about how women would never leave him alone.

Yeah right! In his dreams.

Spike threw her a glance, she glared at him and grabbed a book. There was a strange sense of home to the crypt. The crypt, it was heard to think of it as a crypt anymore, even though it was. A place of the death, yet she was living here now.

She drifted sleepily on the last vestiges of normality still coming from the TV set and headed down to her room. A small place, no windows, no light.

The room was oddly bare, some posters, a teddy bear that Spike had salvaged from her room at her dads, an old picture of Buffy and the gang held a place of honor on a small alcove above her dresser.

There were candles filled through the room, covering the room with just enough light for him to see the girl lying on the bed. He stared at her, almost hesitant to enter the room. She didn't turn to him, turning her back to him. He took a step back and left her alone. He could hear the soft sound of her crying as he left the room, even as her tears entered her pillow.

*******

The vampire hit the hard rock walls for a second before he fell down on the couch, staring dumbly at the TV-set. His hands rested behind him, on top of the couch, spread out almost cross like. He could still smell the scent of the blood coming from the empty mug and the small circle that would stain the table just the slightest bit.

He rose up again and grabbed some paper towels,

he carefully cleaned up the table, wiping out the last remnants of blood from the cup before placing it in the sink. The thing was just some metal bit of waste that he'd stolen from the men's room at the station. But at the least it gave him and Dawn a chance to clean up.

'Fangs for the memories'

The text had almost been wiped out by use and cleaning. He placed it down and noticed a letter sticking out from under the mess on the small coffee table, his name was printed on the front.

William Norfolk, with the address of the postbox he'd gotten for any contacts. It was rather hard to get a mailman to come to the cemetery. Even with people stupid enough to live on a Hellmouth.

He tore the thing open and took a pair of glasses, reading it carefully, making sure he didn't miss anything.

It was short, official, making sure that the parents found out about the Parent/Teacher night at school. Some kids seemed to have the habit of 'not' telling their parents. As if they'd ever do that. He stared at Dawns room. 

She hadn't told him.

If not for the letter, he'd never have found out. How long really had the Nibblet been holding out on this thing? Her parents were dead, so was her sister, if someone had to go, it would have to be him.

How ... tame, how domestic.

He checked the time on the invitation once more and changed it by a few hours. He wanted to make sure he ate before going. These things were boring enough as it was, without adding a hunger only worsened by his inability to kill.

It was uncomfortably easy to put his old scrawl on the paper.

Dawn was so still, just the even, silent sound of her heartbeat.

Silly really, just a child, and a human one at that. Yet he'd felt more fear for her well being than he'd felt for his own in the past century of his unlife.

It was ridiculous.

She was human, he was a vampire, she shouldn't have been more than a late night snack.

Yet...

At least she kept other squatters of the undead variety away from the crypt. Nothing better than a human living in your crypt to set up a nasty anti-vampire barrier.

He dropped his shirt on the table and pulled out his boots, kicking those last two under the table and out of his way.

He laid down on the couch and grabbed his blanket, falling asleep almost instantly, covered by Dawns all too human scent.

After a while the torches on the walls finished of their own accord, leaving nothing but darkness in their wake.

*****

It was night, yet there was a sun shining in front of her. Buffy was smiling, smiling as she fell. Light surrounded her, shining from inside of her as she fell ever deeper into the light.

Dawn stared at her own hands, feeling the blood as she reached for Buffy's hand, so desperately trying to hold on, but feeling her sister slip away further with every second.

"It has to have the blood" , she whispered and Buffy kept falling.

"Dawn!"

She startled up at hearing her name. Mrs. Rennington was frowning at her, her eyebrows almost reached her hairline. The woman's shadow loomed over her.

Dawn blurred past her remarks, What was one tiny overweight human woman compared to the horrors that dwelled out at night.  
It's not like they'd stay here long enough for it to matter.  
She stared up at the blue marks her fingers made on the page, how the ink spread from under them.

Blue fingerprints.

The red blood still stained her hands, how many people would still be alive if not for her. Dad, Buffy, those crazy people in the hospital, maybe even mom. Or what about all those others, strangers who'd gotten in the way of those insane renaissance fair rejects. Who's only mistake had been to get in between them and her dead.

Huh, what had old Rennie just said? PTA slips? Oh no.

Couldn't those knights just show up already, anything was better than this. Come on.

She swallowed deeply and pretended to look for the slip in her bag. Her mouth fell open when she found it, signed and all. Spike's writing was on it.

Mrs. Rennington held out her hand, waiting quietly till Dawn placed the piece of paper in her hand.

"After ten?" The teacher sounded surprised. Then she folded it up and placed it with the others.

"Good then. Miss Summers, please tell your guardian that the timing will be quite fine, but do tell him to be on time. I will not be waiting around, if he is late. Yes?"

Dawn nodded in quick agreement, ignoring Joss and Marti's leers coming her way. Joss leaned over to her, eager to say something, but Rennie stopped him before he got out his first word.

Mrs. Rennington loomed over Marti's desk for a second, whispering something. The slender black girl was whispering back, worried about something. For a moment Dawn thought she heard her say vampire. Stress really had to be getting to her, if she started seeing vampires where they didn't belong. Even if there were plenty around, this just wasn't the place for them.

Marti nearly ran her over, rushing on to world history. Dawn knelt down, pulling in her books. There was a stake lying in between the books. Dawn turned up, quickly hoping that Marti hadn't seen it. Had she put one in this morning and forgotten about it? Had Marti seen it? She started packing even faster, hurrying away from the other girl.

*******

Spike noticed an older man was turning out some of the lights in the hall. Not all, this was a school after all and there were still some people present. A few last teachers were lingering in the hall, checking out their watches and clocks, hoping for a speedy trip to their nice warm beds, their safe homes and their spouses and children with nice red cheeks waiting for their return. 

Their eyes stuck to him, as if he wondering what he was doing here. Wondering if they should worry or not. They shouldn't worry, they should be terrified. No, they weren't really worried, they thought he was beneath them, beneath their cozy little lives, and their suburban dreams of picket white fences.

He wanted to rip out their eyeballs, to mix their blood with cheerio's and sip it out of their skulls, but he couldn't do that. Buffy wouldn't have wanted him to. She'd look at him, seeing a monster. Even now, almost a year after her death, even the idea of her disappointment with him was enough to keep his fangs at bay.   
Buffy and the chip.

Did these puny little idiots knew how little stood between them and a nice little massacre?

Buffy, the chip and ... well Dawn.

He could hardly go on killing her teachers, now could he?

The door of her class was open, he looked in for a second, no one was there. He stepped over the threshold and stood still for a second. 

There was a chair, standing right in front of a desk. He gave the class a quick look. It was white and cheery, covered with prints on the walls. Not quite like the dark smoky room where he'd been taught the fine arts needed by a gentleman.

He sat down on the chair and planted his feet firmly on the desk. His combat boots left their mud prints on the fine wood.

He took a smoke and lighted it, emptying a cup filled with ballpoints to use it as an ashtray.

He stared at the clock. Where was that bitch?

"Uhum." 

His heart nearly beat in his chest for a second as he startled up at the sound.

She moved into the room, ruling it from the first step she put inside. He stared in her eyes, trying to regain his sense of authority and flinched one second before placing his feet on the ground. She stared at him, more exactly at the cigarette between his fingers, and the smoke twirling between his black nails. He put it out almost instantly.

For the first time since long did he look at the black nail polish and wondered what it made her think of him. He took a breath that he didn't really need and straightened first his duster and then the collar of his shirt. She sat down without saying a word and he brushed his fingers through his unruly hair.

He tried to shrug it of, why should he care what some mortal woman thought of him?

Let 'her' sod of with her judgment, her ideas on what was right and proper.

But as he turned his eyes away from her, he couldn't help but notice the look of disgust in her eyes as she crossed her hands on the desk in front of her. Her chestnut hair was frayed with locks of gray lurking between the immaculate do. 

Spike found himself fidgeting with his collar again.

"Mister Norfolk?"

Spike nodded, loosening the top button of his shirt uncomfortably. 

He rustled his hair, trying helplessly to flatten the curls that tried to fight their way from under it.

"Yeah, I'm Dawns cousin."

He took another breath and continued needlessly.

"From her moms side." 

The woman stared at him. She got up for a second and stopped at some black machine in the corner.

"Do you feel like a cup of tea mister Norfolk?"

She didn't wait for his response, and started filling two cups before taking them with her to the desk. Spike nodded at her in recognition and sipped his tea, crossing his legs, almost looking for protection from her gaze.

The woman just stared at him, seeing a punk kid, a waste of her time. And for a moment Spike felt like he were no more than a bug, easily crushed under the soles of her hundred dollar shoes.

He wanted to rip her a new one for that one alone, but he couldn't.... Not as long as Dawn depended on him.

But then that wasn't what the woman would see. All she'd get was the menace to society. Yeah right as if he were planning to teach Dawn to drink and gamble while learning her to cuss.

As if, ... There was no way that he'd share his little spare money for booze with her. The little jobs he was performing on the side didn't pay that much.

He grabbed a cookie that stood on the desk between him and the woman and nibbled on the texture. The thing didn't do much for him, too sweet, to sugary, all that, but at least it gave him something to set his teeth into.

The soddin prig lectured him on Dawns scores, but damnit, the kid was giving it her best. You try and be on six schools in one year alone and get top grades at all of them. You try and loose your entire family in one year time, and getting hunted down like an animal, because of something that isn't even your fault. And worst of all, you try and learn that over 14 years of your memories, never even really happened.

Who wouldn't be disturbed by that. So what if she nicked some stuff from her classmates? Good for her. 

But he couldn't tell all of that to the bitch, now could he?

He made the kid go to school every day, made her do her homework, what more did these soddin prigs expect from him?

He nearly sighed in relief when she was finally finished, only to break out in trembling when she started a speech on the progressive new age attitudes that the school prided itself on.

He grabbed another cookie and swallowed it in one go.

"I am glad that we had this talk Mister Norfolk."

Spike snorted at that and got up as quick as he could. Wanting to get away from this place, this hell, how did the Nibblet manage to survive day in day out with these people.

He turned around to grab his duster from the chair and had to take a double take. There was a big man-sized mirror standing almost right behind him. And he was right in between the thing and the bitch. All that it showed to the bitch was herself, the duster on the chair and the desk in front of her. He stared at he mirror image for a second and grinned evilly before turning around and pulling his duster over his shoulders.

It seemed to disappear into thin air.

"Goodnight Mrs. Rennington."

She didn't even shiver. The bitch knew, she'd known all the way through their little talk and still she sat there, her heartbeat barely raising a second out of synch as she offered him her hand.

Fool or otherwise, Spike didn't have a clue.

Instead he reached over the desk and pressed his lips on her short thick fingers. Sniffing her hand for a second as he fought the urge to give it a good lick. He left for the door, turning back one last time in the door opening. He could feel her stare on his back all the way down the hall.

******

Dawn tapped her pencil on the beat playing through the club. It raged through her heart, urging her on to get up and join the dance.

She didn't.

Her books were spread out in front of her, one page showing images of the French revolution, alongside a highlighted text.

It was slightly interrupted by the wet rings of a coke bottle placed on the page.

The dance floor was cracked. Joss was in the middle of it, completely ignoring the beat and doing something only describable as a rain dance. It was the only explanation she could find.

Marti was dancing a bit more controlled, heavily hidden behind two layers of clothing, her every gesture seemed to beg for someone to unwrap her.

The pencil reached her lips and Dawn tasted the rubber gum at the end of the pencil. She came close to choking as the pencil gave in and broke. She had to sputter a bit before she managed to spit it out.

As she straightened up, she stared straight up to Marti's face. Only now she realized that Marti had been the one who'd knocked on her back, trying to keep her from choking.

Joss had taken the seat across of her and Marti sat down next to him. Dawn took a deep breath, in doubt between telling them to leave her alone and a deep need to have someone at least to be with. She pulled the book closer to her, barely preventing a disaster with the last bit of liquid in the bottle. Marti luckily got a hold of it before it fell and smirched the page.

Marti held the bottle before her face, as if trying to find a mystical answer inside of it. Well maybe behind it as she stared at the strangely converged image of the page through it. Then she nodded her head in a lack of understanding and returning the bottle to its place.

Neither of them knew what to say, how to start a conversation. They were classmates... that didn't mean they were close.

"Anything interesting in the days of dust and beheadings?"

It wasn't a good pun, but Dawn still smiled at Marti's all too obvious attempt at breaking the silence.

She closed the books, pulling them together in her bag

Joss was drawing circles in the stains on the table. Marti tried to look anywhere but at her and Dawn just stared at her hands, desperate for an excuse to get out.

"Didn't want to study at home?"

Joss words seemed to come as out of the blue for him, as they were for the others. Dawn froze for a second. Home. The crypt. She hadn't wanted to be there alone. It was different when Spike was there, the place felt truly like home when he was around. When he wasn't ... it got creepy. Which when you think about it, it being a crypt, based in a cemetery, was no more than to be expected.

Dawn rolled her pencil over her hand. Every few seconds tapping the tip of the pencil on the table.

"I've got to go. Spike's waiting."

"Spike?" Marti seemed to be about to burst out into laughter.

Dawn gave her a frown.

"What kind of a name is Spike?"  
Joss seemed to be more than ready to agree with Marti.

"What kind of a name is Joss."

"A normal one?"

Dawn just glared at him.

"It's not his real name. He just likes to be called that way."

Marti stopped smiling and returned her looks to her glass.

Joss got up to head for the bar, leaving Dawn with Marti.

"So ...uhm ... how's life in Brookston Cleveland spoiling you?"

Dawn wasn't sure what to respond.  
'Just bad enough to keep going' just didn't sound quite right.

"It's cold."

She stared over the dance floor, anything not to have to face real contact. Outside of school and all that. She spotted him near instantly.

A year ago, she'd never have seen the signs. It wasn't as if he were shouting it. But the signs, subtle as they were were there.

Clothing just a tad out of synch of what was seen as current. A skin tone, a tad to pale.

Eyes that looked around, not at faces, but ...

She nearly choked when she saw him chat up to Roxanne. The girl had been staring at the dance floor on her own as usual and even this hint of attention... Unfortunately it could get her all too dead before long.

Dawn was about to get up, when she noticed Marti doing the same thing. She nearly hit into Joss who just arrived with the drinks and stared over the crowd, searching for a sign of Roxanne and the vampire.  
She could just spot a tinge of Roxanne's orange sweater and tried to push her way to the crowd.

People complained as she pushed them out of the way, she was breathing heavily when she finally managed to open up the door to the alley. The vampire was holding the girl, ready for the kill. Then he noticed her. Dawn could feel her heart trembling in her throat and started searching through her bag, where was that stake. How did Buffy always manage to get them so fast. She pushed her notes out of the way, grabbing a hold of it and staring up into the monsters face. 

He'd dropped Roxanne, but now all his attention was on her. His face was all fangs and grrrs; Dawn shivered just looking at him. She leaned back into the wall, holding on to her stake and cross for protection.

"You really don't want to do this."  
She tried to put some bravado in her voice.  
"I taste real bad." the vampire kept coming closer.  
"I'll scream." The vampire grabbed her, pushing the cross to the ground.  
"Spike is so gonna kick your butt if he finds out about this."

"Spike?" The vampires face shifted to his human pretense for a second.  
Then before he could say anything more, his body imploded and he fell down in specks of dust.   
Dawn stared up at Marti. The girl was holding a stake, and unlike her, Marti seemed to know what she was doing. It was only now that she noticed the breath she'd been holding in. She shrugged of Marti's help in getting up and tried to dust her clothes, desperate to get rid of the vampires remains. 

Marti knew.  
Dawn grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder. It was already after ten and Spike would be at the PTA meeting. Too late to change that, to stop him ...  
Dawn almost expected Marti to follow her, the girl hadn't. She turned around to find Marti gone.  
Probably for the best. She really didn't feel like explaining today.  
The music inside tried to tempt her into returning inside, but she blocked it out, moving away from the light. 

******** 

She knew. The bitch knew, but what exactly was it that she knew, or thought she knew. Spike stared out into the darkness as he leaned up against the bricks of the stairs.  
His vampire vision could see through the dark clear as day and he waited, hoping that Dawn would have at least the decency to make an appearance. Staying away like this ... it wasn't like her.  
His leg cramped for a second and he stretched it out. Oh it wasn't one of those 'I want to die of the pain' human cramps, just a slight tingle in his muscles, begging for him to move, but he obeyed it anyway. 

He lit another fag and stared into the dark, trying to get rid of an odd feeling in the back of his neck. Almost as if he was being watched. His last cigarette was probably still burning somewhere between here and the classroom, where he'd dropped it when the bitches eyes had hit his. 

'I must be in hell' he reckoned. "So why am I not enjoying myself?'  
A hell with people all too conscious for their health. So conscious of it that they outlawed smoking in public buildings, like schools and hospitals and bars ... All those places that a vampire could enter without worry, turned into worse than hell. Such a stupid idea, especially when they tried to foist it on someone like him, who didn't even need it. 

He thought back to how he used to like picking out kids wearing those little nicotine patches, feeling the rush of the nicotine still flowing through their blood. Almost ... almost as good as a real smoke. 

The bitch had stared at him as if he were evil.   
People seemed to glare at you like that when you dared give in to temptation. As if you were killing them slowly with every puff you took. It was fun to play with that. Fun to see those eyes jump wide in fear and disgust when you lighted that fag, held it under their nose even as they dared make comments on a no-smoking sign. 

There the tingle was again.   
Someone was watching him. There, in the woods in front of him. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was out there, somewhere. He stared at the darkness, knowing how easy it would be to get lost in there. He forced himself to concentrate on the small light of the cigarette, knowing the woods would always be waiting for him. 

Footsteps.  
He turned around, facing the young Slayer.   
Her again.  
He turned back to his smoke, taking a deep gulp and sucking in the smoke one more time before stomping it out on the sand. 

"Slayer."   
The word came out almost nonchalant, meaningless, except for that vague timbre of awareness. 

"You!" 

"Now now Slayer."   
  
He barely managed to grab her wrist before she planted a stake in his heart. The dance took off and Spike stepped right into pace, defending himself with no intent to harm. She kicked his legs out from under him, he rolled over and crouched down, staring up at her with a wicked grin.  
Voices clamored out from behind them.  
"So you really want to kill a parent on school grounds, do you kid?"  
He got up and turned her his back.  
"Thanks for the dance Slayer. Come back when you've grown up." 

He left her alone and moved up to the woods. He had to give her credit though, she didn't take more than a few seconds to catch a grip and come after him again, jumping in the air for a flying kick. He grabbed her by the ankle and pushed her to the ground, holding her down for one slight glorious second before the chip finally kicked in. Pain burst through his veins and he arched back, grabbing his head in a torment that lasted mere seconds, but felt like ages. 

She took the opportunity of course. Hitting him down, beating in on his face. He would have made quips, holding her back with a string of words. But the pain was too much, to hard, for him to do anything but take it as it came. He tried to crawl away, holding on to his head and confused by the raging flashes that danced in front of his eyes. She kicked him and he flew up against a tree, wood pierced his shoulder, locking him up against the wood as she approached. No way out, no way to run. He pulled loose and fell in the dirt, his face hitting the sharp rocks of the ground, he looked over his shoulder, seeing her come and tried to kick. The strength just wasn't in it.  
Her hand lifted, the stake coming ever closer. 

******* 

The trip to school was a race with time. Would Spike still be there?   
Would he be furious? What would he say?   
She almost threw her bike on the ground as she got to the school.   
The lights had been turned to usual minimum late night standards. She   
walked quietly through the empty campus and noticed a last teacher   
fiddling with his car on the parking lot.  
  
Where was Spike?  
She wanted to yell out his name but felt burdened by the empty silence   
hanging around the school after hours. It was cold, freezing and she   
pulled her coat closer trying to find a shred of warmth.   
"Spike." she nearly whispered his name.  
"Spike!"  
  
Something grabbed her shoulder, she swung around and hit something. Joss.   
He had to take a step back to keep standing up and grabbed his chin in pain,   
she'd nearly knocked him down.  
He looked at her, giving her an accusing puppy dog look, as if wondering why   
she'd hurt him.  
She smiled shyly, wanting to apologize, but unsure how to do so.  
"I thought..."  
  
Something was wrong... Something...  
She walked on, staring over the stairs and down into the forest. "Spike!"  
No response.  
  
There were several cigarette buts spread at the bottom of the stairs, but   
no Spike.  
Had he left, was she too late?  
Joss tried to stop her, he was saying something, but she wasn't listening.   
Where had Spike gone?  
She ran down the stairs and stared around, desperate for a trace. She nearly   
fell over Marti who was spread out on the ground. 

"Spike!"

There was a stake clutched in Marti's hand. She seemingly couldn't get up,   
her entire body held to the ground with roots and vines.   
Dawn ignored her and kept yelling Spikes name, hoping for a response.  
  
"Dawn?"  
  
She swerved abruptly, seeing Joss cut the other girl loose. Marti got up and   
stared at her, slightly confused.  
"What...?" Harsh tone, worse than she'd intended. "What did you do to him?"   
A hesitant pause broke through her words.  
  
"Did you kill him? He was no threat to anyone. Not to good guys. Did you?   
Did you murder him?"  
Heavy sobs tried to break through, but she wouldn't let them, not yet. Her heart broke, there was a lump in her throat the size of Nebraska and she felt overcome by a sense of numbness.  
She could almost hear her own heart beating a thousand miles an hour.  
  
"Who? The vampire?"  
  
Oh God, no!  
Dawn fell down on her knees, not feeling the pain in her knees as they caught the shock.  
Not a tear left her eyes.   
Numb, cold.  
Not Spike. Not Spike. Please not Spike.  
  
"I'm sorry Dawn, but it was a vampire. A monster."  
  
"Bitch!" her fists clenched.  
"You ... he..."  
  
There were no words to express it, no way to make the other understand.  
She moved her fingers along the sand, staring at the dust, was any of this   
dust Spike's ashes?  
"He was my friend."  
Joss stared at her, a bewildered look in his eyes. Marti seemed to be in   
abject disbelief.  
  
"I didn't dust him." Dawn turned her head in hope. "I didn't get the chance.  
  
Dawn looked up at the black girls face, trying to find the truth. Was this   
just a lie?  
  
"I was about to... then ... Something got a hold of me, I was pulled to the   
ground, tied down. I tried to look up and saw the vampire swallowed up by   
the earth."  
  
"Swallowed?" Dawn bowed her head, not fully understanding. She stared down,   
almost wishing for it to take her down as well.  
She tried knocking on the hard soil. Beating her wrists on it. But of course,  
nothing happened.  
Marti tried to pull her back, Dawn pushed her away.  
  
"I have to find him. If he's still alive, still undead, I have to find him."  
  
"Dawn, you're friend is a vampire. A killer, ruthless, without soul."  
  
"You're a Slayer and you don't see me holding that against you."  
Marti stood stunned at her outlash.  
"Where's your watcher?"  
Marti didn't respond.  
"Where's your bloody watcher?"  
  
"Why?" Marti was stuttering slightly.  
  
"So he can tell us how to get Spike back of course."  
Self-evident, clear and Dawn didn't bother waiting for a response.

*********

His head felt ready to burst. There was a cloud of red haze, filling his eyes, hurting him with light that seeped in no matter how much he tried to keep them shut. His limbs hurt, his chest, the pain. Oh God, it became intolerable.

He startled up, pushing away the figure looming over him.

Her ...

She was stunning. Kinda cute, crumpled to the floor as she was. Her skin was a kind of emerald green, deep, like the bottom of a weeded lake. Not human skin, different... Some kind of demon.

She had a human shape though, and a fine one at that. Instead of hair, her head was covered with some kind of weeds, but on this git, it actually worked.

Pure emerald eyes and fingers that were near transparent.

A forest nymph? Will wonders never cease?

He'd thought they'd been extinct, hadn't seen one in over a century.

Her face lit up in a smile and she hopped up, fading and appearing next to him.

"Spike  
Beautiful"

The words were deeply articulated, every vowel accentuated.

"Sure luv."

He tried to get up, feeling dizzy and trying to ignore the pain from the beating the Slayer had given him.

"Love, lovely, bliss."

Her fingers left a soothing trace on his skin. Cold, refreshing his pained muscles. He tried to touch her, but she was gone, before his hands got close, appearing at his back and leaning on his shoulder.

"Hey!"

She pushed him down, falling on his back.

"Amalthea care for Spike. Amalthea take care just fine. Just fine."

He turned around and looked at her lying in front of him.

Her touch felt like a feather, soft, caressing, making him forget the pain, forget...

"Dawn..."

But the memory was washed out in a kiss, she smelled so good, felt so good, the sweet dew on her body tasted like honey.

Was he forgetting something?

He didn't know, he didn't care. All he knew was ...

Bliss

*******

Dawn sat down, staring at her hands as she tried to deny the others eyes on her. Mrs. Rennington had let them in and was off in the kitchen. Dawn could see her messing with some kind of drink.

Dawn had wanted to demand their help for Spike. But Mrs. Rennington had just looked at her and she'd crumbled, sat down and went quiet.

"I know this must be a shock to you."

Dawn looked at the mug in her hand. Hot chocolate. She held it with both hands, feeling the heat through the stone of the mug.

"But you have to understand Dawn. He is no longer your friend. Whomever he was before, this man is a vampire now."

Dawn couldn't help but let a giggle break through. It wasn't laughter, more a sign of sad irony. She knew that!

"Of course he's a vampire. He has always been a vampire. this is Spike. William the bloody.  
What you think I didn't know?  
How stupid do you think I am? I damn well live with the man." 

Mrs. Rennington gave her a wondering gaze. Almost stunned for her doing. Marti and Joss were less subtle with their mouth wide open.

Dawn took one sip out of the mug before putting it down.

"I can still remember the first time I met him. 

My sister used to be dating this guy, Angel. He was a vampire too. Something happened, and he went evil."

Dawn chilled even at the memory.

"He used to torment my sister by leaving gag gifts at our door, harming her friends, tormenting her with the knowledge that she could have prevented it, if only she'd staked him earlier."

Dawn knew she had to continue, she couldn't just stop now.

"One day, I was coming home from school, driving my bike, ... It was late. I knew I should have gotten back sooner, but I didn't think it would matter.

He grabbed me, took me to his lair."

Mrs. Rennington came closer, placing a comforting hand on Dawns shoulder.

"He turned me over to Drusilla.

I mean, Dru's insane. She's an insane vampire bitch-ho and she put me between her dolls.

I nearly choked on the gag she put in my mouth.

She was coming closer, near to touching me and then Spike rolled in."

Dawn wiped away a tear from her eyes and took a deep gasp for air, forcing herself to continue.

"He told Dru he was hungry and she said she'd go out and bring him someone to eat. Angel was to busy setting a trap for my sister, trying to get her out of the way.

Spike was just sitting there in his wheelchair, staring at me. Even trapped in that chair like that, there was something scary and way cool about him."

"A wheelchair, he didn't look like he needed any wheelchair to me."

Marti's voice cracked through the air.

"Oh that, yeah, my sister threw something really heavy on him some months earlier.

He got better, he got out of that chair.

I mean, he was supposed to be locked to that chair, but he smiled and then he got up."

I couldn't get away, he picked me over his shoulder and took me with him. He used to have this black DeSoto with totally covered windows.

We drove for what seemed like hours, couldn't have been too long though.

He told me to stay seated, I didn't immediately listen, but then he went to Game face and I stayed put like he said.

Turns out he wanted me to be a sign of good will to my sister.

He wanted to show her that he was serious about his offer to help her save the world."

"Save the world? A vampire?"

Joss expressed what everyone else in the room seemed to think.

"He had this weird speech about things he liked and that how if the earth got swallowed into hell, there'd be no more human happy meals on legs and things like that.

It really was cool.

Buff... My sister, she said he just wanted his girlfriend back. Drusilla. She'd been getting ... close to Angel. Too close."

"Your sister was a Slayer?"

Marti almost whispered the question. Dawn just nodded.

"Buffy Summers from Sunnydale California."

"Off course."

Mrs. Rennington almost jumped out of her place and headed up to a bookcase, holding out one of the newer books.

"The last Slayer and one of the longest lived ones at that."

Marti seemed shocked at that.

"How old ... how old was she when ..."

"21"

A lump got stuck in her throat and Dawn started shaking again.

"She gave her life to save me. Spike promised he'd take care of me, protect me till the end of the world. She killed Glory but it was too late. The portal was opening and only my death could stop it. My blood had to stop flowing.

Buffy looked at me, stopped me and then she jumped.

She died because of me.

And I'm not even real.

I'm just some key, turned into human form with loads of fake memories. And I don't even know what's real and what isn't.

I just know that I need Spike. I need him.

If he's in danger, I have to help him, he'd do it for me. It's the least I owe him.

Please help him."

*********

Her body felt so smooth under his hands, so cold this close to his own as he licked of the dew that formed on her breasts. It was a sweet nectar that could sustain him eternally if he let it.

His head was fogged in bliss, his every need fulfilled.

His wounds no longer bothered him. Spike knew his eye still felt sore, but the pain no longer got through to him. In fact, he seemed to be veritably tingling with energy.

"Spike?"

"Yes luv?"

His hand seemed war, touching her naked skin, moving closer to her and pulling her in his reach.

"Amalthea like Spike.

Like Spike lots.

Spike be with Amalthea?

Always?"

There was a childlike quality in her voice, something sweet and innocent, quite unlike her well formed body. He placed his finger on her lips, she kissed it, begging for an answer with her mouth. He closed his eyes, unwilling to respond.

His lips touched hers, their tongues met and their naked bodies connected. Spike couldn't remember a happier time in his unlife. He couldn't remember anything really

Nothing but the cave, the woods ... And Amalthea.

He lost himself inside of her, gaining life between her limbs and kissing her with full fervor.

She still begged him for an answer, pushing for it with her kisses.

But he didn't answer. There was something waiting for him outside. Someone who needed him. If only he could remember. She wanted his promise, so easy to give, even if he did it as a lie... but something stopped him. Something whispering in the back of his head.

Someone needed him out there. He was sure of it, he couldn't stay.

But the bliss swallowed him whole.

Did he want to forget? Was there any reason to forget?

He tried to push through the haze, fighting for a shred of memory.

What was so important?

He was happy here, fulfilled. There were no needs.

Yet a feeling of loss, of need kept seeping through.

"Spike?"

The tips of her fingers left a wet trace on his chest, over his unbeating heart. Cold, yearning for the little warmth his dead body still possessed and stroking out his past.

The demon inside of him didn't let it, it had felt the fight and embraced it, driven by urges it should have repulsed. She tried to make him forget, but the more she did, the more his demon fought for him, to keep what was his.

"Dawn."

********

Marti was staring at her as if she'd grown a second head, or two from the looks of it. Dawn ignored her and moved through the cemetery. Joss seemed to stay right behind her, keeping his hands on a crossbow at all times. For crying out loud, this was Spike's cemetery. He'd kicked out all other vampires as soon as he'd moved in.

She took her key and opened the door of the crypt. It screeched and she had to put force in trying to get it open. The crypt looked like usual, Dawn tried to look at it differently though, wondering how the others would see it. Neither of them said a word, but Joss was shivering and Marti, she was all distant, moving her hand over the coffin in the center of the crypt. Dawn pushed it open and crawled in, opening the hatch leading to the below part of the crypt.

She didn't wait for the others and climbed down the rope ladder. The place was dark, filled with shadows like usual, but somehow it felt weirder, not knowing for sure that Spike would come back home. She took a match and lit one of the torches on the side, using it to light the others as well.

"Nice digs."

Joss jumped down the last few steps and let his eyes wander all over the place. He wasn't even trying to hide his curiosity as he picked up a photo frame. Dawn grabbed it out of his hand and put it back. It was a family picture, Dawn, Buffy, their mom. She straightened it, only to notice Joss had taken another picture from the table. Dawn let him, it showed Dawn and Spike at a late night fair some towns back, him pushing some sugar candy up her face and her laughing.

It didn't show the music of that night, the fun of laughing at the ridiculous unscary vampires at the haunted house. It also didn't show the knights of Byzantium attacking them later that night. It didn't show Spike crashing down in the cab, grabbing his head in pain, after fighting them a way through the Byzantium hordes to get away. 

She swallowed and moved on, trying to find something of Spikes. Something that he was close to. The Watcher had said she'd need it for a spell to locate him. She'd asked why, and the watcher had said they couldn't help him if they didn't at the least have a clue of where he was.  
To bad he'd taken his duster with him. That one would have been perfect.

Something of Spike's. The problem was, most of the stuff in the crypt was hers, and plenty of the rest was there only, because she'd needed it. What could she take that would feel as Spike's. Her eyes caught the stack of videos next to the TV-set. She grabbed a bag and pushed them in.   
Passions, Dawson's creek, Seventh Heaven, even that new Superman show.

Hey he watched those things almost all day, that should make them personal right?  
It wasn't like she ever touched them. Well ... except for the Smallville ones, the guy playing Lex was to hot to ignore. 

"Video tapes?!"

Joss stared at them with wide open eyes. 

"That's his personal possessions? I'd have thought something of his victims or some kind of weapons, but video-tapes? They're not even porn, or horror, they're worse, they're of soaps."

"Hey, what can I say? He's evil."

*******

There were shadows on the wall, strange shadows, remnants of the light that sipped through, despite the lack of anything resembling sunlight in the room. He sat on the bed, staring at the wall as he pulled his pants back on, wondering what he kept missing. His face shifted into the vampire and he touched the ridges on his forehead, unsure what he was, what to do...

Amalthea touched his back, wanting him to pay her attention, he didn't even turn around and look at her. She appeared in front of him, he turned away.

"Spike?"

He had to go, but where and why?  
Something struggled to come back to him.

"I have to go."

"No go.  
Spike stay, Spike stay with Amalthea.  
Be happy."

Spike shrugged her of and closed his zipper. She appeared in front of him, touching his chest, trying to get her to touch him. He pushed her of.

"Look luv, it's been nice. But I've got places to go, people to ..."

What was it that was so important that he had to leave?

"No good.  
Spike not leave.  
Not leave Amalthea."

"I'm sorry luv, but ..."

She kissed him, he wanted to open his mouth and take her in, yet he didn't .  
She seemed bothered.

"Spike not leave."

"I've got to go."

"Amalthea be with Spike.  
Be there."

But it was to late to turn back the clock and the trance shifted off even further.

"There's people, things I have to do."

The name hit him like a shock, opening his eyes once and for all.

"Dawn."

Amalthea stared at him in rage, her beautiful skin spiked up in rage. She faded in the walls and disappeared. Spike tried to stop her, but she was gone before he could make a grab. Dawn, what if ... He couldn't let the little bit get hurt because of him. But the walls wouldn't let him through. 

He stomped on them, trying to make something happen. All that did was some soil coming loose.

He stared up at the cold black earth.

"Not again."

********

Mrs. Rennington sat in front of the fire, still chanting. Dawn could see the smoldering remains of the tapes, had to swallow a lump in her throat. Oh God what would Spike say?

Old Rennie had taken a look at them and if Dawn didn't know better, she'd have taken her smile as she lit the flame for a vicious glee.

Then the chanting stopped. Mrs. Rennington seemed tired, she moved her head up slowly, looking at them.

"Dawn, has he ... has he ever drank, ... touched ... any of your blood."

Dawn wanted to rise up against the teachers assumption, to be furious that she could even think something like that. But Mrs. Rennington seemed to serious for that.

She tried to remember. Had there ever been any such thing?

"I don't know if it counts. Once maybe...  
The other way around though. This bad guy was going to cut me. He wanted to help this bitch God from Hell and he was going to set my blood flowing to make the spell work. Spike tried to stop it, but the bad guy, Doc, he stabbed him with a knife and pushed him of the tower. After that he stabbed me with the same knife. Buffy then ..."

She could feel her throat closing around it, tears filling in her eyes. Mrs. Rennington came closer and padded her on the shoulder, her voice sounded more hopeful.

"Then we might have a way to find him."

Dawn stared at her, looking closely at the woman as she took a small penknife out of her bag. Dawn gasped for air and unconsciously took a step back. The cut had happened before she could say a thing.

"Let the blood sip on the pile." 

Dawn did so, sucking on her finger, trying to make the blood stop.

The light flamed up, a huge energy ball grew and levitated over the pile. It took off, almost before they could get up after it.

The thing was fast, hard to follow and it almost seemed as if the forest itself was trying to stop them. Forget seemed, the forest was trying to stop them. Vines and roots came up from nowhere, lying in their way, branches swept at them, anything to stop them from moving along. Luckily for them Marti managed to keep the passage clear with her axe, clear enough for them to get through.

The ball suddenly stopped in front of a massive oak, circling around it. Dawn stared up at he tree, staring at it in awe, trembling in fear. She set her fear aside for Spike and moved up, touching the tree and yelling for Spike.

Mrs. Rennington said something about cutting down the tree as the only way to take out the nymph. Vines and roots moved in her way, fighting to stop the Slayer from coming closer.

The bask of the tree moved, something waved up from underneath it, creating a form in the wood before puffing it out. It was some kind of demon.

Dawn stared at the woman, well mostly she stared at the black leather duster the woman was wearing. Spike's coat.

"Leave!!!  
Vampire mine.  
Mine! Mine! Mine!"

Dawn wanted to jump at her, to scratch her face and do whatever she could do to make the bitch let Spike go. But Joss held her back, Dawn kicked at his shins, forcing him to let go.

The nymph was to fast and grabbed her before she could even do a thing, pulling her head back.

Dawn stared up in shock, terrified.

Something happened. The nymph let go.

A hand crawled out from the ground, forcing its way to the surface. Then another pushed its way through, the soil cracked and Spike's head appeared from the earth, his face shifted into its demon visage.

"No one..." his voice sounded harsh and dangerous. "And I mean no one, harms the Nibblet."

The nymph shrunk back in shock.

********

Spike growled as he saw Dawn lying on the ground, he could feel his demon scream up in rage at the thought that she might be hurt. Amalthea shivered when she saw him come at her. He wore nothing but his pants and boots and could feel his chest react to the scrapes he'd gotten on his way up. Dawn stared up at him and Spike shifted back to his human facade, stepping in between the lil' bit and Amalthea.

"Mine!"  
Spike tell, Spike mine."

"I told you luv. But I got things to do."

"Mine!"

"No! It's over."

Amalthea did that shifting again, appearing right in front of him, her fingers brushing over his naked chest, he tried to push her away, she hit him up against a tree.

He cramped in pain, feeling his limbs, his head still hurting from before.

"Mine!"

Spike wondered if he was delusional when he saw the Slayer get in between him and Amalthea. The kid did her best, hitting the nymph back.

"Hey watch the coat, that thing's mine."

But neither of the women responded. Spike tried to get up, finding it difficult to do so. Dawn kneeled down next to him. He tried to smile back at her, making her see everything was fine. But he didn't think it worked.

Someone started chanting, a woman's voice. Spike pushed himself up and stared at the teacher.

"Mrs. Rennington is Marti's Watcher."

That explained that... well not really, but what the bloody hell right? He got up from the ground, trying to get closer to the fighting couple, not that he gave a damn about the Slayer, he just wanted his duster back before it was swallowed up by the earth as well. Then he noticed some vines attacking Dawn. He grabbed a hold of them, breaking them before the Nibblet could get herself hurt. 

Ignoring his own pain in the process.

"Spike it's taking Joss."

He didn't even think about doing nothing and jumped into the fray once again, pulling the kid loose and probably saving his life.

"Spike."

Her voice sounded lower, fighting the drooziness of the spell.

"Save Amalthea.  
Amalthea give anything.  
The chip.

Amalthea save Spike from chip.   
Take out bad metal, make Spike bad again.  
Spike?"

He nodded no and pulled the vines of the Slayer, freeing her.

"No."

Then he watched her swallowed by the earth.  
"What happened?"  
He stared up at the watcher, wishing he had a smoke, something to keep his fingers busy.

"I made her sleep in her tree.

Spike touched the bask of the oak, feeling her presence inside of it.

"She can't be killed though, not as long as her tree still lives."

The Slayer took a clue and aimed her axe at the treetrunk. Spike grabbed her hand stopped it in motion.

"No."

"Why not?"

Yeah, why wouldn't he want her dead? She'd kidnapped him, tried to enslave him...

"She just wanted to love.  
That's all.  
Someone to love who loved her."

He released a sigh.

"But we can't all get what we want, now can we?

*******

Dawn huddled in her coat, wondering what Spike was doing. He just sat there, at the bottom of the tree.

It had been two nights since it happened and Spike still seemed attached to the tree. He just sat there.

Was he even aware that someone was listening?

"You do understand, don't you luv?  
I couldn't do it. Not even for the chip, I couldn't let the kid get hurt."

He touched the tree.

"It isn't just that I didn't want you, you weren't that bad. But I made a promise and I care for the kid too. That was your mistake you know, you thought I was alone, that I wouldn't miss anything outside, but I did.

She's family, she's blood now. I would as soon loose her as loose an arm, hell I'd loose an arm, before I'd let her get hurt.  
Can you understand that?  
I'm all she's got now."

He grinned for a second

Dawn got closer.

"Who'd ever have thought that a demon like me would care so much about a human, a Slayer's sister. But I do and because of that, even getting rid of the chip wouldn't have been enough to get me to forget that.   
She's mine now. Mine to care for, mine to love, mine to protect. You have to understand that, I couldn't let you hurt her, I couldn't stay.  
Please understand."

Dawn came from out of the brushes, getting closer to Spike, he made a place next to him, letting her sit in his lap and brushing through her hair.


End file.
